"Slower is gonna make me faster???"

Chris had some success over the half but couldn't quite figure out the full. He wanted to finish strong and chase sub 3:30.

OBSTACLES

Chris' first marathon humbled him and made him fear that perhaps he just wasn't a good marathoner.

RESULTS

Chris finally conquered the marathon with a 3:25 PR.

"I thought I had some talent as a runner but it wasn't really being harnessed. I knew I needed real coaching and real training."

The Problems ChrisFaced

Chris CareyAge: 49
Hometown: Birmingham, AL

Short-term approach

Chris always had success simply chasing the next race. This led to some decent performances at the expense of long-term success.

Speed > strength

Chris knew he had some speed but he wasn't seeing that translate to the marathon

Too fast on his easy runs

Chris needed accountability to keep him honest in his training and prevent him from running too hard too often.

No structure

Chris treated running like it was simple - get out and run and you'll run fast! He soon found that the marathon is a different beast.

How did RunnersConnect Help?

#1: A long-term approach specific to Chris' goals

Instead of just training for the next race, we showed Chris a timeline detailing where we wanted to see his progress month-to-month. This allowed him to understand the rationale behind the training and thus put his full faith in it.

#2: Real, bonafide coaching by real, bonafide coaches.

We got to know Chris - his strenghts, weaknesses, and quirks - and made a point to coach him accordingly. This helped Chris to really harness his talent and realize his potential in the marathon.

#3: An actual marathon strategy

Chris knew he couldn't go in blind like he had in his first marathon.

So we came up with a detailed strategy based on his goal and his progress in training up to that point. This included specific splits to chase, a nutrition plan to stay fueled, and motivation to get to the finish line.

What Were the Results?

The long-term approach payed off with a 3:25 PR at the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, Alabama.